The Diavel Made Me Do It
I've been curious about Ducati's V4 engine for a while now, ever since they moved from the L-twin platform at WSBK. Its straight-line performance has definitely been a talking point in and around the paddock.
I asked the local dealership if I could take a brand new Panigale V4R out for a test ride.
They said "No."
Whut?!? I can't test ride a $53,000 motorcycle with 0 kms on the odometer?!?
Disappointing. But not unexpected...
They had a few V4 models on the floor that they said I could take out: a Multistrada, XDiavel and Diavel. I've ridden a Multi before and I didn't like the feet-forward position of the XDiavel, so I took the keys for the Diavel and prepared myself for a dance with the Devil.
What an interesting-looking bike! Big bulbous front, which tapers off to a petite sport-bike-like rear end.
However, I'm not completely sold on the looks. I kinda prefer the original 2010 Diavel v1.0 with the smaller nostrils. This motorcycle certainly turns heads though. When I was parked at the Starbucks (obviously), two different people came up to me to talk about the motorcycle and ask questions about it.
Does my butt make this bike's rear end look small?
The user interface was very familiar, sharing similar screens with my Hypermotard and DesertX. First thing I did was thumb the Mode button until the demonic-red Sport mode screen popped up, promising to unleash all 168 hearsepurse in my pants... er, on the road...
owaitaminnit, only 168 hp? The base Panigale V4 has 215 hp? And the R has 240 hp? Where did the rest of the 50+ ponies go?
So it turns out that Ducati has two versions of the V4. The one in the racebike has the full on Desmosedici Stradale engine, which uses desmodromic valves to shove the revs to a stratospheric 16,500 rpm redline in WSBK-homologated V4R trim.
The non-desmo version of the V4 is called the Granturismo and uses traditional spring valve return system instead of the desmo rockers. Cheaper and easier to produce, less maintenance-intensive, but lacking that high-end power at the shouty end of the rev range. It makes its peak power at a relatively sedate 10,750 rpm, which is much more streetable.
OMG, despite being the nerfed non-desmo version, this engine still pulls, with the thrust accompanied by a pleasant, throaty growl from the stock exhaust.
From a standstill, twisting the throttle keeps building power like a freight train till it tops out at 7,500 rpm in each gear, the devil on your shoulder (and right hand) urging you to keep clicking up on the shifter till you enter Lose-Your-License-Territory... which happened somewhere in the middle of second gear... so a few gears ago...
Me likey!
How do I get my mitts on the 240 hp V4R version...?
Single-sided swingarm. Cool!
240mm rear tire on amazing looking rims. Phat!
4-barrel gatling gun exhaust... um... Cringe...
As the picture above shows, it didn't take long for me to discover the limits of the bike though. And it wasn't the engine.
The low-mounted foot-pegs gives the Diavel a very comfortable rider triangle, but the max lean angle tops out at a very non-Panigale-like 41°. Much too low to get a nice lean at speed, which I tried... several times, before finally giving up and just enjoying the straight-line cruising experience.
Had lunch in Princeton, saw this flag, had to take this picture... 
When I asked whether I wanted to take the Diavel or XDiavel out for a test ride, I was confused as to which was which. I had to sit on both before deciding that I didn't want to ride like the letter "C"... bent up like a paperclip, arms and feet stretched out in front of me.
Why are there two Ducati motorcycles with such similar names? The difference between these two bikes has had me confused ever since the "X" came out a few years after the Diavel debuted.
Turns out the XDiavel is the cruiser version. A little bit different styling, but the main difference is the feet-forward riding position. Don't like that at all. I kinda like the styling on the X a bit more than the Diavel, with its exposed trellis frame underneath the tank and no oversized, flaring nostrils angrily inhaling air, dirt and bugs. But I hate having my feet ahead of me in the gynecological position. If they could put mid-mount controls on the X, that would be my jam.
I think I'd classify the Diavel as more of a standard naked bike, with kinda cruiser-styling? Power cruiser maybe?
Like the non-motard Hypermotard, Ducati is into producing all sorts of class-defying, genre-bending motorcycles that fall in between traditional categories.
Hey Mr. Diavel... Lookin' "Sharp!" Don't tell me you don't also check yourself and your ride out when you pass shop windows or shiny tanker trucks...!
Our ride takes us up and over the Okanagan Connector, a high mountain pass, which at 5700 feet, regularly sees snow in the middle of the summer. Temperatures dipped to single digits and this bike wasn't equipped with the optional heated grips.
Thankfully, every Ducati V4 motorcycle comes equipped with a seat warmer from the factory. It's called the engine...
I reach down beneath the seat every now again to direct some of that V4 warmth back into the hands. Pfft, why even bother dishing out for hand warmers?!?
Another one of my favorite features, the cool tail lights!
The little T-bar at the end kinda looks like a spoiler, but is actually a passenger grab handle. It unobtrusively slides in under the pillion seat when not in use. Very slick!
Also, the buttons on the handlebar are backlit with red LEDs, to underscore the Devil-theme of the bike. Nice!
Other random notes: Despite not being interested in buying a bike like this, I did spend quite a bit of time on it. Went for a long-ish ride - about 400 kms door-to-door. In that time, I had to fill the bike up even though the dealership supplied it with a full tank of the premium juice. And when I returned it, it was back down to half-tank again.
I think I maybe got a bit less than 300 kms out of its 20L tank! This thing is thirsty!
Or maybe I shouldn't have been riding at 6000-7000 rpm the whole way...?
Dunno.
The Diavel made me do it...
Also, super-low seat height. This is the first bike (outside of school bikes) I've ridden in years that I've been able to flat-foot both feet on the ground. And with a considerable bend in the knee as well. Weird!
Oh okay, the last feature, and I think my favorite one:
The whole ride, I was staring at this button on the right hand switch cluster. It was marked "DPL".
It stands for Ducati Projectile Launcher.
SWEEEEEET!
It comes with rocket launchers!!!!
If someone pisses you off on the street, you can fire heavy-duty ordinance at them. Only three missiles available though. After that, I think you need to go back to the dealership and reload the ammo for the next ride.
Very cool. I like it!!!
Totally enjoyed my time in the seat of a V4. Not so much the Diavel specifically, but the engine was super-fun
I've been a Desmo-lover for a long time now. Owned several Ducs, all of them desmo.
However, the writing is on the wall. Desmo is going away, especially for non-racebike applications. The non-desmo Granturismo V4 is in most of the streetbikes. The new non-Desmo V2 powerplant is going to be installed into all manner of Monsters, Supersports, Baby Panigales and DesertXs. Much as I rue the day that the majority of the Ducati lineup will be non-desmo, I get it. You do not need sky-high revs for the street. And my experience with my DesertX has shown that 114 hp is more than enough for the dirt. Low-end grunt is what most people need.
Fine. It's Okay.
It's FINE.
